Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1887-01-14
TIM .SOTAkIfEAGN


JUDGE wHEELER's INTERESTING PAPER co..
FORE THE PROFESSIONAL eLrB uN ThE
EARLY INDIAN HISTORY 90 RHA1TLEBuhI
AND VICINITY
The Professional club resumed H. meet
ings on Wednesday evening after an inter
val Of year aud more, during which n
was found not rxpcdicnt Ia hold .cssions.
The meeting was held by nvitniou with
DR.. and Mrs. Draper at the nsy hun The
paper was given 10y Judge Wlptlrr VIII"
rave an entertaining narrative u the early
Indian history Of this section. Tie tribe oi
Indians resident here, Judge Wheler said,
when New England was settld, was the
Snnkheags the only tribe lef north vt
Millers river in Massachusetts after the
tribe living in northern Ncrmob anu New
Hampshire removed to eastern. New York.
planting their tribal tree at flat is now
Srhaghticoke and calling Themselves there
from Schahkooks. How imnerou' the
Squakheugs were cannot he shi with much
certainty. They lived mosq' in villages
after the Indian fashion Ileir territory
extended on the south 10 Hers river, on
the east ~ Monainock. on tle west =" the
Green mountains and on y north tn Bel
lows Falls or above Ihelrh iplinl or tllhnl
headquarters was in HinsA ON the high
land between the Connectitt and ANhuelot
rivers, known as CooperE Point or Fort
Hill IL was here that h'ir chiefs lived
Their last one was named n we-let. They
had no domestic animat kept dogs-nu
horses, cattle, sheep or kne fowls. The
| wild turkey was native u he country and
/ furnished one item in lheir subsistence.
T Their only cultivated crg was Indian corn
and pumpkins. They raied these by burn.
/ ing over the ground aud hen scratching it
/ with stone pillow draggd 10y hand. They
knew how 10 make sipr, boiling the sap
in stone vessels. They nd no implements
/ Of metal
About 1910 the wife settlers began to
show themselve, up IL Connecticut valley.
Deerfield was ~cttledi 1871. la 1876 the
battle Of Turner's Fan was fought to re
sist the encruachmebs Of the whites, the
Smakheags Of this icinity joining with
other allied tribes buth. Copt Turner.
who gave name TO te falls, came ON from
Boston with Il compayu f provincial troops.
and Capt Hulyukc, khose nalue Il perpetu-
] ated in the inuuntiu aud city Of the same
name. cam. from ipringticld with troulN.
One hundred lndnIs we're slain and the
rest took To their 'anoes ia the river of
these lao went ger the falls and We're
drowned This bltle 50 weakened the lo.
cal tribes that theylever attempted further
warlike operation on their own account.
The Squakheags raduallv diminished in
numbers and final, in 1884, the Mortified
settlers bought teir whole territory for
90 TO he padn trades goods They
fingered about he for a while, and drfted
away a few at Il me to Join the st. Fran
els indians in Cahda Pomcrov's Island in
Al e 70.
"A man who was iled there in 1898 in join
ing with others rescue two boys whom IL
partv of these suak heag Indians had stn
en- down the riv'.
Judge Wheel gave an interesting uc-
count of the Defeld massacre which took
place Feb. %, iJ4. ON the 18th Of Fcbrua
rv new style The hlopdy deed was done
by "A party of s,ut $50 81 Francis Indians.
who came dos from Canada guided bv
som. If the Scakheags who were familiar
with the cnuisv The party left their sleds
and dogs at te mouth OF the West river,
ON the lands rw owned hy the asylum and
Mr. Eaton lp SNOW WAS four feet deeI
and lust thrii",rrrd with hard crust a.
they went 18th hN way ct Guilford and
Green River. The ~tockads mt Deeriield Ell
, closed ~ arr, Tia, settlement was taken
completely b surprise at dead OF night a
vivid acruuI was given If the heroic iurti
tudp and staining religious spirit shown
by the Rev ohm Williams uui th. remnant
ur his dc ~ they mnd, the dreadful
5 march ia aar-c of their cdptorS back {,
Brnttlelnnmd jhrn,. up the river and m
0 t. Canada The deep SNOW began 10 thaw
and melt lcfure the march began Mr.
! Williams. ho was weak gave ont after
/ forling u river IA Guilford and wu~ killed
Four 9th women ver. killed and thcil
i Iniies leIun the Ice. between here and Bel
. | lows Fa.. On the sunday Mr.. William
preached Ia ms flock ut the mouth of Tia,
stream Rockingham which still hears hr
p name after soinr time Mr. Williams re-
. turned " pecrfrd from his captivity an,
T. scveralf his pp-terity were men Of note il
I the mii,trv.
y Brie sketches were given of the estah
hshme Of Fort Dum.uer. where tn
Brook farm house now ,tRnds below thi
i villnx in li24. and uf the Howe home
Il stealth Vernon l. Josiah SartWcll -
Nortkeld in l,f0 The short narrative o
. the .cntful life of Jemiina Sartwell. VIII,
= mAr9.d successfully VIM Phipps Calei
+, How and Amu> lutc. vas especially inter
rstfs and showed that there was mutrria
:, herfnr a full chapter Of local history
D. address. which was given entrel
T. wrout notes. showed such faithful an,
scllarly study Of our early history a. onl
a al love for the subject could inspire. an
ID close attention with which the compan
l-.n,-l gave assurance that 1t was fully az
: pciatel The discussion which fullowr
y bought ont very entertaining incidents OIL
trly history, and the evening proved ON
II the most delightful AMI profitable Whc
&, le club has ever spent.